The Burrow: It's a Weasley Life!
by ArtemisIsis13
Summary: Raising seven children isn't an easy task for Molly and Arthur Weasley. Soon, they'll all be off to Hogwarts and out of the house, but until then, the fire in the Burrow isn't likely to go out just yet. [This is the life of the Weasley Family before they met Harry Potter.] CURRENTLY ON HIATUS!
1. Ch1: At the Break of Dawn

**Disclaimer: The characters of this story are the property of J.K. Rowling.**

**This story is written purely for the sake of entertainment. Criticism and reviews are welcomed.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**At the Break of Dawn**

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><p>Dawn slowly approached as the moon parted ways for the mighty sun's entrance to the morning sky. Crickets chirped along the moist grass as dew drops fell off the leaves of the flutterby bushes and the tall trees in the distance. The morning fog slowly dissipated as the hints of sunshine peered over the horizon, spying on the world of slumber, and ready to wake them all from dreams.<p>

It was at this time that her eyes opened, bleary from her hours of sleep, with tired wrinkles around her face and her hair in curlers. Oh, how tempting it was to stay in bed, all warm and cozy, to enjoy a few more hours of rest. Her fingers prodded the cold, empty side of the bed, and for a moment, she wondered where her husband was, and then she remembered that he was working overnight.

Molly Weasley sighed. If she did not wake up now, she would have to face the seven hungry children, with the eldest two at odds on how to feed those energetic little mouths. Finally, Molly forced herself out of bed and immediately started to prepare for the day.

Curlers off. Clothes on. Windows open. Stove alit.

She busied herself at the stove, whirling her wand around so that the pans and pots floated through the air to their dutiful destinations: boiling eggs and frying pancakes, with plates of toast and juicy sausages ready to be devoured. A jug of juice and water to go, and breakfast was almost complete.

She passed by the mantle over the sooty fireplace, where the Family Clock resided, each of the little hands signifying the status of every family member. The children were at home and Arthur Weasley was at work. All was well. Nothing to worry about.

Not that she was expecting anything to happen at all, but she could resist being wary of her family's safety. Just because You-Know-Who had disappeared eight years ago didn't mean that there weren't other dangers lurking out there in the Wizarding World.

As she made scrambled eggs, bacon, and more toast, the smell delicious smells wafted from the kitchen, through the rickety corridors, and up the crooked stairs to squeeze under the doors of every one of the children's bedrooms. Like sly little snakes, they slithered across the floor until they were on the bed and tickling at their noses, teasing them constantly. Then, as the morning glory flowers bloomed at dawn, their little eyes opened wide with excitements as their tummies mewed towards the scent of fresh food, and at once, theirs instincts kicked in. Only one person in the world could make food that inviting.

"Breakfast," each of them mumbled sleepily, as if enchanted by a mysterious spell.

Then, with a round of bouncing excitement, they were all tumbling out of their beds to hasten to the rickety wooden doors.

On the fifth floor, tall and gangly nine year old Ronald Weasley nearly fell from his bed to the floor as he scrambled around, coaxing his feet to cooperate. On the third floor, the two elder Weasley children leisurely stretched, in no immediate hurry to move as they crossed their room at a relaxed pace to the doorways. Bill and Charlie always let the younger ones eat first. After all, they knew how much to eat for comfort, and not the later discomfort due to stuffed stomachs.

On the second floor, Percy Weasley pushed himself up onto his feet, ignoring his outrageous cockatoo hairdo as he put on his horn-rimmed glasses and scratched at his hips. Next to his room, the eleven year of twins of danger, Fred and George, nearly bowled each other over at the race to the hallways, hopping over each other's legs and playfully pinching each other's arms. And on the first floor, a little girl curled up under her warm blankets, not really wanting to leave her room, but dearly craving food.

One by one, all the children hurried out of their rooms to get downstairs to the kitchens, eager to eat. The twins, grinning evilly, grabbed their youngest brother as he tried to pass him and threw him into their room and shut the door.

"Hey!" he protested, wrenching the door open and running after them, careful not to fall down the stairs in the process. "Fred! George! Get back here!"

"No way!" the twins laughed, pushing passed the elder Weasleys to get to the kitchen first.

"Come on, you two!" the oldest said, smiling at his younger brothers. "Play nice."

"We are, Bill!" the twins laughed as they took the seats closest to the door. "He can't take a joke. Right, Ronniekinns?" They pretended to bat their eyes at the youngest boy who scowled in response.

"Very funny," he muttered, his ears turning red.

"Boys, where are your manners?" Molly said, eyeing her sons as she cracked eggs into the frying pan.

"Good morning, Mum," they all said in unison, trying not to smile.

"And where is your sister?" she asked as they helped themselves to toast.

"She's probably still in her room," George said through a mouthful of toast. He winced at the glare his mother gave him for speaking with his mouth full. "Sorry."

Molly sighed. "Bill, go get her, please?"

"Sure, Mum," Bill said, getting up and heading towards the stairs again. As he left, Molly clucked her tongue, scrambling up the eggs in the pan.

"He needs a haircut," she said, shaking her head. "Working in Gringotts at nineteen with that hair?"

"Mother, let him be," Fred grinned loading eggs and bacon on his plate. "Bill likes his hair. Besides, it's not _that_ long."

**~o~**

Bill skipped steps as he ventured to the first floor, where his little sister remained cooped up in her bedroom. He rapped his knuckles lightly against the door and listened carefully for an answer.

"Ginny, are you awake?" he called. "It's breakfast time." There was no answer. "You don't really want the twins to eat your share, do you?

There was a moment of silence. "I don't want breakfast!" he finally heard her call from the other side of the door.

Bill shook his head. "Ginny, come on. I know you're hungry, sis. You can't starve yourself in there." No answer. "Do you want Mum to come up here and get you? Because you know she will."

There was a pause before he heard, "Do I _have_ to come down?"

He knew that tone. Something was bothering her. He took a step back and peered towards the staircase. No eavesdropping brothers. He nodded to himself and leaned towards the door once more.

"Can I come in?" he asked in a gentler voice, loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough to carry on downstairs.

He knew how to be patient. When you have six other siblings to compete with, patience came as a compulsory lesson. He leaned against the doorframe, waiting for his little sister to respond, when the door finally cracked open and a shuffling noise disappeared into the darkness of the room.

As Bill pushed the door open, he noted how the drawn curtains dove her room into pitch blackness, with very little light to distinguish the outlines of her wardrobe, her desk, and her bed. Bill went over to the window and pulled back the blinds to reveal the rising sun in the sky, filtering light into the room, and finally the room was discernible to the naked eye. A little girl sat on her bed, curled up with her arms around her knees. She stared at her big brother, her flame red hair disheveled on her head and her wide brown eyes tingled with unhappiness.

"What's wrong? Why don't you want to come downstairs?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. She didn't answer. "Ginny, talk to me."

"Fred and George were teasing me again," she muttered sadly.

"Teasing you about what?"

Ginny looked left and right, as if afraid the walls would hear her. "_Him_," she whispered.

"Oh." Bill nodded his head, understanding her problem.

Ever since Ginny was three years old (that's when she first heard the story), she just loved _anything_ and _everything_ about Harry Potter, the wizard who defeated Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who as everyone called him. Every Halloween she'd beg her father to tell her the story, and any other day she could spare, she'd look for any material that spoke of her favorite hero.

But her siblings didn't share the same enthusiasm.

Sure, they were all in awe from the stories that they heard about him, but none of them really focused on them at all. Yes, every once in a while they would host among themselves a reenactment of the story for their own and their parents entertainment, but most of the time they were focus on magic, Quidditch, and in Percy's case—schoolwork. Just the other day, Ginny had been pouring over a book about Harry as her older brothers played a game of Quidditch (Percy stayed in his room around his time) around the paddock. Fred and George had decided to take the book away and pretended to play Ginny and Harry, where Ginny only fawned over Harry. Embarrassed, Ginny had run to the house and stayed with her mother where she knew her brothers wouldn't bother her.

But during dinner, they had done it again, making kissy-faces along the way. They had been scolded by their mother for this, and though she knew it was only a joke, Ginny didn't appreciate the teasing at all.

"Hey, don't listen to them," Bill said, pulling Ginny into a hug. "You know how those two are, Ginny. They don't mean any real harm by it."

"I know," she said. "But they'll tease me anyway."

Bill smiled and looked down at his eight year old sister. "Ginevra," he said, smirking as she scowled at him. "There is no reason to be scared of our brothers. They won't be teasing you for long."

"You had to remind me?" she pouted, thinking about what was going to happen in September. "They'll be off to Hogwarts and I'll be stuck with Ron! It's no fair!"

Bill laughed. It was true. It was August 2nd and on September 1st, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George would be off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she would be stuck home with Ron for two more years before he two would go to Hogwarts. After that, it would be her turn.

"It'll be great," Bill assured her. "I'll be working at Gringotts, and staying here with you guys until I get an apartment, and in the meantime, we could think of pranks to pull on Ronnie." He said this last part with flourishing tickle at her tummy. Ginny giggled.

"That sounds nice," she said, hugging her favorite brother.

"So are we coming downstairs?" Bill asked. Molly called up to them at that very moment, telling them to come downstairs immediately. Ginny stuck out her tongue at the floor, knowing that the kitchen was right beneath her. Bill laughed at her antics.

"Yep, we're going," Ginny sighed, pulling out of bed. Bill grinned and walked with her out of the room. They walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where her brothers were eating.

"Morning, everyone," she said, stilling between Bill and Ron.

"Hello, Harry's girl," Fred teased. Ginny pouted. Bill kicked Fred from under the table, making him yelp. "What was that for?"

"Leave her alone," Bill said, glaring as he helped himself to sausages. "I mean it, Freddie."

"Don't call me 'Freddie'," Fred frowned.

"Whatever you say, Freddie," Bill said, taking a bite out his toast. He, Charlie, Ron, and Ginny suppressed smiles as Fred scowled. George snickered, elbowing his twin before stealing bacon off his plate.


	2. Ch2: Talking Together

** The characters of this story are the property of J.K. Rowling. This story is purely made for enjoyment. So enjoy. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**Talking Together**

Bill went off to work after breakfast. Arthur returned home not too long afterwards, tired from all the night's hard work. The twins were in the living room, playing Exploding Snap while Percy read a book. Ron, Ginny, and Charlie were outside, feeding the chickens.

"Are you coming back for Christmas?" Ginny asked Charlie as she collected eggs from the hens' nests. "Or are you staying at Hogwarts this year?"

"Perhaps I might stay," Charlie said hesitantly. "I mean, it's my final year at Hogwarts so, I might as well try to enjoy it."

"Oh, okay," Ginny said, placing the eggs in a little basket her mother had given her. "Hopefully the twins stay this year too."

"I thought you loved the twins!" Charlie said in a mocking voice. Ron chuckled as he threw more corn to the ground.

"I do love them," Ginny said, frowning. "I just that... I don t want to endure any more of their constant teasing. It s driving me mad!"

"What have they done now?" Charlie asked.

"It's the way the tease me for liking Harry Potter," she sighed, shaking her head. "You'd think I was in love with him or something."

"Aren't you?" Ron laughed, seeing her expression.

"No, I am not!" Ginny snapped, rounding on him. "Is it wrong for me to admire a modern hero?"

Ron blanched, only turning red around the ears. "Um, no. It s just that I-"

"You what?" Ginny s eyes turned to slights, her expression so much like Molly's it made Ron gulp. "What, Ron?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Ron said hurriedly, eager to turn and run away from her. Though she was the smallest of the lot, and the youngest too, she had one of the strongest personalities like her mother.

Charlie suppressed a grin. "Wow, Ginny, you've scared him half to death. Maybe he's not so Gryffindor after all."

"Hey!" Ron protested.

"Maybe he's a Hufflepuff," Ginny teased.

"Am not!" Ron nearly shouted.

"That wouldn't be so bad," Charlie mused, smirking at his brother s outraged expression. "What? Hufflepuffs are wonderful people. I have a friend from that house. She's pretty great."

"You mean Tonks?" Ron asked. "The clumsy girl."

"Hey, she may be clumsy, but her heart's in the right place," Charlie said, defending his friend. "Besides, she's rather cool when you get to know her."

Ron shrugged and started feeding the chickens again.

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><p>Ginny jumped onto the couch, startling her thirteen year old brother, Percy. He nearly dropped his book in alarm, having not expecting her to do that. Ron laughed and sat next to her, staring expectantly at the two as if he were waiting for something to happen. Percy glared at the two of them as he straightened his horn-rimmed glasses.<p>

"Ginevra, Ronald," he said stiffly, causing the two to wince. They hated to be called by their full first names.

"Perseus," Ginny said sweetly, knowing this would tick Percy off. PERCY was his full first name, not PERSEUS.

"Stop calling me that," he said irritably. "You know very well that is not my name at all."

"Stop calling us Ginevra and Ronald," Ron said, glaring at him.

Percy didn't respond to him, but merely nodded his head. Ginny glanced at Ron and then back at Percy. Percy was reading from his book again; it was called 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.

"What's that for?" Ginny asked, indicating to the book.

"I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures this year," Percy said, not looking up. "I want to educate myself beforehand."

"But you haven't even gotten your booklist yet," Ron pointed out. "How do you know what to study for?"

"It's call being prepared, Ron," Percy said evenly. "I may not have the right books, but I can still learn, can't I?"

"Right," Ginny and Ron said together, becoming bored with their brother. They got up and ran out of the living room and up the stairs to Ron's room. Ron's head barely scraped the ceiling as he kicked his toys out of the way as he walked to his bed.

"I'm bored," Ron said dully.

"Really? I never would have guessed," Ginny said, sarcasm coloring her voice. "I wish there was something interesting to do around here."

"Why don't we talk about your birthday?" Ron asked. "It is in nine days. You'll be eight by then."

"I know."

"Well, it does seem sort of odd that we're saying your eight right now, seeing as your still seven."

Ginny folded her arms. "What s your point Ron? In a few days, it won t even matter. I'm trying to get used to it. And besides, we both one year closer to getting to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, me more than you," Ron laughed, staring dreamily out of the window. "When I go, I'd like to have an owl."

"That would be cool," Ginny agreed. "But do you think Mum and Dad would be able to afford it?"

Ron shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe by then, our luck will change."

Ginny sighed. They're life here at The Burrow wasn't so bad, but really did hurt when they couldn't afford stuff that they really wanted. They made do with whatever they got, and stuck together, just how a family should, even though there were a few rough edges every now and then.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked. Ron picked up his bedside alarm clock, the one his Dad had given him, having bought it from muggles.

"It's nearly noon. Lunch is coming soon," Ron sighed, thinking about the food.

"Mum was right, Ginny smiled, shaking her head. Men are ruled by their stomachs."

Ron glared at her. "That's not true! I'm just hungry."

"You're ALWAYS hungry!" Ginny laughed, seeing the expression on his face.

"That's it, get out of my room!" Ron said, trying to sound tough, but Ginny just fell over laughing. Ron Weasley, giving orders? Perhaps things weren't as boring as before.

"I mean it!" Ron said, getting up off his bed. "Get out of my room!"

He tried to push her out the room, but (and this was something that Ron was totally embarrassed over) Ginny, despite being smaller than him, was stronger and more agile than him. Like a cat, she dodged out of the way and pushed him back to his bed before running out the door laughing. Cursing, Ron got to his feet and ran after her.

Ginny was sitting innocently at the kitchen table, watching her mother cook. Ron ran in and stopped in his tracks, not daring to make a move against her while his mother was there. Ginny smiled sweetly at him, obviously pleased that Ron couldn't do anything.

'You win this round,' Ron mouthed at her. 'But I'll get you next time.'

'In your dreams, Ronniekinns.'

Ron turned red and marched out of the door, bumping into Fred and George. They knew immediately that it was Ginny would ticked him off because it couldn't be Bookworm-Percy and neither could it be Charlie; he was out by the paddock, practicing his flying techniques. It couldn't have been Dad who was sleeping. And if it was Molly, everyone would have known it.

"You do it?" Fred asked Ginny quietly as he sat opposite her.

"Yep," she said proudly.

"Well done!" George grinned, giving her a high five.


	3. Ch3: Planning and Wondering

**The characters of this story are the property of J.K. Rowling. This story is purely made for enjoyment. So enjoy. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**Planning and Wondering**

Most of the Weasleys were fast asleep in their beds. Molly, Arthur, Charlie, and Bill were in the living room, discussing Ginny's birthday. It was only three days until August 11th (marking Ginny's 8th birthday) and they were planning out the final touches. It wasn't going to be a big party, but nevertheless, they were going to try and make it the best birthday they could give her. Percy's birthday was next, and luckily they didn't have to go out for the boy's day; he never liked to celebrate it much anyway.

"What about a pink cake?" Molly asked fondly as Bill sketched out the design.

"Mum, you knew perfectly well that Ginny doesn't like pink," Bill said, rolling his eyes. "She likes carnation yellow, red, lilac. And bright green."

Molly sighed unhappily. "I know that, it's just that... Ginny's my baby girl. She deserves the best."

"And she'll get it," Charlie agreed. "The best that we can give her."

Arthur nodded. "Some cake, vanilla sponge of course, and ice-cream—cookie and cream, that's her favorite. A few of her favorite games. We have all her presents well hidden..."

"Someone remind me again why I couldn't have gotten her a broomstick?" Charlie asked glumly at the mention of presents.

"I don't approve of my daughter flying on those things," Molly said, clucking her tongue. "She could get hurt."

"Have some trust, Mum," Charlie said, shaking his head. "You let us boys fly on them. And Ginny loves Quidditch and everything. I've even heard her say she wants to be a chaser for her school house when she gets to Hogwarts. It would be a fruitless dream if she doesn't know how to fly."

"Ginny is not going to play Quidditch," Molly said firmly, shaking her head. "I don't want her flying either. When she greets to Hogwarts, she can do something else."

Arthur sighed. "Molly, when Ginny bets to Hogwarts, she'll HAVE to learn to fly. It's compulsory for first years. And by then, if she wants to play Quidditch, then she should have a chance at it. Every Weasley man born in the last ten generations has been brilliant on a broom. Why shouldn't Ginny?"

"She's not a Weasley man, she's a Weasley GIRL! Girls shouldn't have play Quidditch!" Molly snapped. Bill stifled a laugh.

"So what are the Holyhead Harpies?" He asked, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face. "Cross-dressers?"

Charlie belted out a loud laugh that surprisingly didn't wake up his sleeping siblings. Arthur couldn't help but smile, and Molly soon joined in afterwards. She shook her head and gave Bill and light slap on the head.

"It's a dangerous game and I don't want Ginny in it," she said, her voice making it final that the conversation was over.

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><p>Ginny woke up early that morning. She lay in her bed, groggy, and yawned as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It was dark in her room, darker than it would be with the lights out. She silently slipped off her bed and, without turning on her nightstand lamp, she walked sleepily over to her window and pulled the curtains away; it was still night outside. Dawn was approaching, but she could hardly see the sunrise on the horizon. She went over to her clock and checked for the time.<p>

It was 4:41 a.m.

She sighed and went back to the window. She wasn't sleepy enough to go back to bed so she sat by the window and stared up at the sky. Most of the stars were gone, but there were still a small bit still out there. She couldn't see the moon either. It might have been on its way to the other side of the world by then.

Despite that, she opened the window and let in cool air from the outdoors. She folded her arms on the window sill and rested her chin on them, pondering to herself. Only a few more days until her birthday. She was excited for it. She hoped that she wouldn't get anything silly for her birthday because she didn't want to pretend to love it like she did the year before. Her last birthday wasn't bad, but her mother had made her a pink cake and gotten her dolls to play with.

Ginny didn't like dolls anymore, not since she was four; that seemed like a lifetime ago. She gazed up at the sky, her thoughts wandering to flying. Oh how she loved to fly. She knew her mother didn't approve of her wanting to fly like her brothers. She found in unfair because she knew she was a good flier. Little did her know that Ginny, since she was the age of six and had gotten jealous of Ron getting a broomstick for his birthday, used to sneak out to the Weasley broom shed and take on of her brother's broomsticks to fly with. No one knew of it, of course, because she knew that her mother would have a heart attack if she found out.

By now, she had gotten very good at it and wished that she could get a broomstick for her birthday like Ron and Charlie, but she knew it was too good to hope. Her mother would never let that happen. Maybe her father would get her another muggle toy? Fred and George... who knows what they would cook up. Ron couldn't get her anything without help from Bill and Charlie, and Percy would get her, and she bet her favorite jumper on it, a book. She hoped it wouldn't be a boring one like the other book her had given her for Christmas...

Ginny started humming to herself, becoming bored and restless in the silences of the morning. She wondered what else was going on in the world out there. She gazed in the direction of the Lovegoods' home. She had never been there, but remembered the time her mother had invited Mrs. Lovegood and her daughter, Luna, for tea every month. Around this time, the boys had always gone off to fly by the Paddock and left her in the house with her mother. Out of all the Weasleys, Ron and the twins were the only people who hadn't met Luna.

Ginny smiled at that thought. Luna was a lovely girl, but she was a little strange. She always had stories to tell about creatures Ginny had never heard of. She didn't believe in what Luna said, but she admired the fact that Luna was headstrong in her own beliefs. She envied her freedom to do whatever she wanted. Ginny couldn't do that often. Her mother babied her too much to let her make most of her own decisions. In was downright annoying.

As her thoughts traveled alongside her emotions, the melody of her humming started to change too. Ginny loved to sing and write poetry. She and Luna had once gone out to look at the garden gnomes and Ginny had said a poem about them that made the two girls laugh.

_**Oh, there you see,**_

_**A gnome in a hurry,**_

_**To escape my older brothers,**_

_**Who whirl them till their blurry.**_

She had only been six when she made that up and she had improved over the years. She gazed up at the stars and then towards the clock. At least half an hour had passed already. The sun was more visible on the horizon, but the sky was still dark. She heard movement on the under floor and figured that Fred and George had gotten up. She yawned again and walked away from the window to her bed, switching on the lamp beside it. Look around her room, humming again, her eyes fell on the poster of the Holyhead Harpies, her favorite Quidditch Team.

Without thinking about it subconsciously, Ginny said to herself:

_**A dream to fly above the rest,**_

_**To prove myself will take no test.**_

_**A winner to a blossom's bloom**_

_**And courage to undertake a broom.**_

She stopped and started giggling softly. Where did that come from?

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><p>Charlie, as quietly as he could, made his way down to the kitchen for a glass on water, trying carefully not to make a sound. She failed that while passing Fred and George's room and her prayed that no one was listening. He crept evermore quietly to the first floor, but as he passed Ginny's room, he saw light coming out from under her door.<p>

"That's strange," he thought to himself. "What is she doing up?"

He walked silently over to her door and was about to knock when he heard her humming in her sweet little voice. Then she stopped and said one of her little poems and he had to smile. She really did want to fly, to rise about her brothers in the process.


End file.
